


Suburbia

by Wolfsmilch



Series: Suburban Science AU [1]
Category: MarsCorp (Podcast)
Genre: Age Difference, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Domestic, Colin's Dark Side, Domestic Disputes, Domestic Fluff, Friendship, Housewife AU, Implied/Referenced Underage, M/M, Married Life, Minor Injuries, Science Husbands, Secret Crush, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unhealthy Relationships, human Patrick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 21:24:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12284667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsmilch/pseuds/Wolfsmilch
Summary: A story from the lives of David and Colin Denham, a totally normal suburban couple, who definitely do no dangerous science experiments in the basement, and a zoology student who befriends a mysterious stranger.





	Suburbia

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU idea that has been brought to life by [this](https://headofscience.tumblr.com/post/163638156938/listen-to-the-the-international-worldwide-global) behind the scenes snippet. 
> 
> This fic also already has [THIS](http://smegandtheheads.tumblr.com/post/165958256373/marscorp-au-suburban-housewife-with-a-terrible) amazing moodboard!! Thank you so much! <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

 

“David, are you ready? We have to leave!”

They were on their way to their first big faculty meeting. The semester had already started last month, and apparently it was university tradition to have an early autumn get-together with all teaching staff. And even though Colin had taken the position as Assistant Professor in the spur of the moment a few months ago, they had been lucky how quickly it had all worked out. The position wasn’t great, but it had offered him a way out of that crappy town and an opportunity to take David with him.

“Yes, I’m coming!” David quickly flitted down the stairs, and finally twirled around like a fashion model. “How do I look?”

The meeting was supposedly informal, but any event to which the staff’s partners were invited could only be far from casual. So he knew David had picked his outfit carefully, eventually overthinking and choosing sensible grey trousers, a white shirt and a matching cardigan.   

“Very nice, but what about the blue dress? I like the blue one.”

“I know you do, but it’s still soaking after a certain someone got slime on it.”

Frowning, Colin raised his forefinger. “ _Accidentally_ got slime on it.”

David he tried to look stern but was unable to suppress a smile at his husband’s exaggerated teacher expression.

“No pretty dress though? No desire to dazzle my new colleagues?”  

“I-I think I’d feel weird in front of so many people? I don’t want to draw too much attention,” David said, one corner of his mouth pulling into an embarrassed half smile.

Colin smirked. “Well, I’m afraid that pretty face will do that anyway, baby.” He let his hand crawl down his lover’s back and, subtle as ever, made sure to rule out any doubt about what he meant. “And those slacks don’t hide as much as you think either.”

David rolled his eyes, but was betrayed by his reddening cheeks. “Aren’t you going to change?”

Colin glanced down, eyeing his outfit briefly. He wore a casual, fawn coloured suit that was one of his usual work outfits. Good enough. He plucked a gardenia from the vase on the table next to them and threaded it through the buttonhole. “Done.”

 

* * *

 

David needed a break. The angry-looking woman that was currently addressing the auditorium had been introduced as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine or something, and she looked as uncomfortable being here as David felt.

He leaned over to whisper into Colin’s ear, and then silently left the faculty meeting. Out in the hall he briefly closed his eyes, breathing in the calm air. But he could still hear voices and laughter from the lecture hall, so he wandered along the gloomy corridor, and instinctively ended up in front of the library. He loved being here, the incredible amount of knowledge, the quiet, and the dusty air in the section where the old and rare books were kept. He strolled along the shelves, lazily reading the labels on the books, waiting for anything to jump out at him. It was getting late so the library was almost empty, and David found himself drifting to the biology section.

A small book with a dark blue spine caught his attention. It looked old, with a title that was printed in gold lettering, but what really drew his eyes was an ornate golden butterfly at the top of the spine. He reached out to touch the print when a large hand suddenly grabbed the book and pulled it off the shelf pushing his hand aside.

David jumped, and he just about managed to squeak an apology before taking a few steps back. The person in front of him had appeared from seemingly nowhere. It was a young man, almost a full head taller than him and probably twice as wide, with broad shoulders and a big torso that was covered by a black shirt and a leather jacket that looked worn and cracked at the joints.

To his surprise, the man didn’t shout at him, or just scoff and march off, but blushed and held the book out to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there. You can have it, I can find another one.”

“Oh, no. I was just browsing. Please take it.” David shoved his now almost trembling hands deep into his pockets, trying to show no indication of wanting to take the book. But the man didn’t let him off the hook.

“Are you in my class? I didn’t know someone else picked insects as a topic.”

“Ah no, I’m not a student. My...” David paused. He couldn’t tell him who he was! “I’m just a guest. I don’t really need it, and I’m sure you need it for your studies so you should take it.”

“I only need it for an assignment. You can have it next week?” He lowered the book and tucked it under his arm, next to a shiny black motorcycle helmet.

“Yeah sure, thank you.”

“Okay, then I guess I’ll maybe see you around?”

David smiled and shrugged, before quickly making his way back to the auditorium just in time to quietly slip back into his seat while everyone applauded the last speaker. He must have been gone longer than he thought. There was a small smile on Colin’s face, as he reached over to squeeze his knee affectionately.

Suddenly the room was getting noisy, as dozens of people started standing up, the lecture portion of the evening apparently over with. Now David would get to ‘meet people’ while desperately clinging to Colin’s arm to avoid being lost whenever he was swept to a new island of faculty members. He hated parties like this, nibbling on tiny food that was mostly meat and meat-based and therefore inedible, and having allegedly smart people look down on him. The only positive aspect of the whole affair was the love in Colin’s voice as he introduced him again and again as ‘my husband David’.

He still couldn’t believe that this was his life now. Finally being free from his parents, totally out of their reach. And yes, he may not have officially finished school, but he was now officially married to the smartest and most beautiful man he had ever met. A man that loved him enough to stay with him forever, through all their adventures in life and even, if Colin’s wild dreams were to become true, through all dimensions and universes.  

 

* * *

 

When David returned to the library a week or so later, the book was already back on the shelf. He couldn’t remember what was so special about it that it had managed to pull him in the first time, except the pretty cover maybe, but that couldn’t account for actually coming back and looking for it again.

He remembered the young man that had taken the book last week. He had seemed interesting, with his long dark hair he certainly hadn’t looked like a student, most of them wore clothes that their parents had bought them to fit in at the golf club. He had more than enough experience with that...

He wouldn’t admit it, but he was suddenly feeling a strange curiosity about what that person was interested in. So he went to the desk to sign for the book, putting down Colin’s name as usual.

It was still early and he didn’t really feel like waiting for Colin’s classes to end, so he rode his bike home, only making one additional stop to get some apples for a pie he wanted to bake tomorrow, when some neighbour or colleague was coming over. He couldn’t remember, Colin was the one with the knack for people.

When he finally returned home, he dropped off the apples in the kitchen and sat down in his reading chair, determined to check out the book. When he opened it, a small note in a clean but pointy handwriting fell out and landed softly in his lap.

 

_Hey, I don’t know your name but you seemed really nice._

_I don’t usually do this but I just moved here and don’t know many people._

_Do you want to grab a coffee some time? Call me._

_Patrick xo_

When Colin returned, David was sitting on the couch, again staring at the small piece of paper. He had put it in his pocket but taken it out a few times over the course of the day and stared at it unbelievingly. Colin watched him for a while, waiting to be acknowledged, and after David didn’t move, he put away his coat and bag, and sat down on the sofa. Leaning over, he kissed the concentrated look off David’s face.

“Oh!”

“What are you reading that’s more interesting than your husband?” 

David giggled, stealing a few more kisses before quickly recounting where the note came from. “Last week I met someone at the library, we both reached for the same book, but I didn’t take it because he needed it and I was just looking and he said I could pick it up next week and so I did and now this was in it. Look.” He held the note out to Colin, who read it carefully, a slight smile on his face.

“Wow, I can understand your excitement now. This is really sweet. Did you call him?”

“Uhm, no. Do you think I should?”

“I don’t know, did he seem nice to you?”

“Yeah, I mean a bit intimidating at first but he was very nice. Do you think he might… be interested in me?”

Colin smirked, pushing a loose strand of hair behind David’s ear. “I told you before I can’t see how anyone could not be interested in you. Or he might just be trying to make friends. But you’ll have to call to find out.”

 

* * *

 

And so David called. They made plans to meet at the café next to the campus and began chatting. They laughed about their first meeting together, and Patrick promised to show David the homework he had needed the book for. He studied zoology, something that interested David immensely, and he in turn seemed to fascinate Patrick with his widespread knowledge of engineering and science. Despite, or possibly because he never gave a satisfying answer when Patrick asked where he had learned everything.

He very well couldn’t tell him about his special treatment in school, Colin’s private lessons, and the secret projects in the basement that they worked on.

But they could talk about plants and animals and Patrick’s classes and books that they recommended to the other. And over the course of a few weeks, they began meeting regularly, going to the movies to watch science fiction flicks in the afternoon while Colin was still at work, and they even went to the zoo once, where they spent hours observing Patrick’s favourite spiders at the insectarium even though, as David pointed out, spiders were not classified as insects.

When they left the cinema one evening, it was almost dark, their spontaneous decision to watch a double feature making the evening longer than expected. David eyed the darkened sky and sighed. “Oh no, and I have to take the bus home. I hate doing that after dark.”  

Patrick looked at him with amused eyes. In the few weeks he had known him, Patrick had quickly figured out that David was not the type of person to ask for help. Lucky for him, Patrick knew how to pick up hints. “You poor soul.” He held out his black motorcycle helmet, which David took after a moment of confusion.

“Really?”

“Yeah, can’t let your pretty ass get snatched off the streets. Come on, tough guy.”

David couldn’t suppress a small squeal as he followed Patrick to the parked vehicle. He had never ridden a motorbike before, and his excitement and worry made him struggle when putting the helmet on. It was too big, but probably still better than going without. He pulled the straps as close to his chin as he could and waited for Patrick to tell him what to do.

When he had taken the bike off its stand, he pointed to a small peg of metal behind his leg. “Right foot here, same on the other side.”

David nodded, put his foot in place and climbed gingerly over the bike, steading himself on Patrick’s shoulders. He settled in, but before he could feel reasonably secure, Patrick shrugged his hands off his shoulders, instead planting them just below his ribs. “Hold on tight!”

The drive home was cold, but too short. The freezing wind made David sneak his hands into the pockets of Patrick’s leather jacket, his chin resting on his shoulder to avoid too much of the long, black hair blowing in his face.

David had given him directions to his house and while he noticed that they weren’t taking the shortest route home, he couldn’t bring himself to care. When they finally stopped, the house was dark. He crawled off the bike and returned the helmet to its rightful owner, before watching him drive off into the night.

Suspecting that Colin was working in the basement, he unlocked the door himself, turned on the lights and went into the living room. But Colin wasn’t in the basement. He was sitting on the couch, a bloody towel wrapped around one hand and a glass in the other.

“Oh my god, Colin, what happened?” David stopped in the doorframe, his mouth slightly open.

“Oh I don’t know, what could have happened? Did I come home and you weren’t here? Did you leave a note were you went like the responsible adult that you claim to be?”

David cringed. He really had forgotten to tell Colin he would be late, but it had been a spur of the moment decision. “But what happened to your hand?”

“It doesn’t matter what happened! All that matters is that you weren’t there for me and I nearly lost a finger as a result!” He was waving his arms around, drops of gin and blood dripping from either hand.

The room started to get blurry, but David let the tears roll down his cheeks, instead rushing to his husband. The smell of alcohol and blood stung his nose, but he tried to calm the older man down. “I-I’m so-so sorry! Why didn’t you wait for me?”

Colin dropped his glass, the sharp crack of it against the wooden floor made David flinch, and Colin dug his finger into the soft flesh under his jaw, lifting David’s gaze from the bloody towel that he had been fussing over to make eye contact.

He was talking slowly, his hot anger having long since been replaced with measured coldness. “Listen, I told you I don’t mind if you go off and have some fun, but if it interferes with our projects I have to put a stop to it.”  

“No, I-I promise it won’t!” David whined, Colin’s finger digging in deeper when he opened his mouth.  

Colin kept staring at him, studying his face for signs of whatever he suspected, when he suddenly leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss against David’s closed mouth. He jumped in surprise but didn’t dare to pull back. His bottom lip was squeezed painfully between both their teeth, but he kept still, wanting to prove how much he meant it.  

Colin leaned back. He looked tired now, older. “I’m sure it won’t.”

 

* * *

 

David didn’t call Patrick for a while after that night, even though Colin made a big apology the next morning, and insisted on David still seeing him, or even better, meeting Patrick himself. David agreed, but still wanted to take some time to think about everything.

Despite the time they had spent together now, David still couldn’t quite answer the question he had asked Colin when they looked at the note. Patrick wasn’t overtly flirtatious, not in the way Colin was, but maybe he was just shy and waited for David to make the first step. He really wanted to find out if he liked him, if only to avoid the then following awkwardness, and so he decided on a more direct approach.

They were sitting in the small student café when David managed to steer conversation from which actors they liked to what people they liked, and more specifically if Patrick was currently seeing someone.

“No, it’s … complicated.”

“Come on, you can tell me.”

Patrick crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah…okay. I… might have a thing for someone.”

“And?” David teased, drawing the word out.

“It’s … one of my professors...,” Patrick admitted, dropping his gaze to his coffee cup.

“Oh?” David raised his eyebrows, he hadn’t expected that. He almost laughed at how much they had in common. “Tell me more.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s dumb and cliché but… oh man, I’ve just got it real bad. And he’s cool, and smart and you know ... classy.”

“Hey, love isn’t dumb and cliché. You can’t control who you fall in love with. And does he know? I mean did you try to-“

“God no, he only teaches one class I have, he probably doesn’t even know I exist.” Patrick sighed. “I could never tell him, no way. I mean look at me, maybe if I was as cute as you, but I tend to intimidate people.” He shrugged, but seemed eager to change the subject. “And what about you? You looking for love?”

David blushed, and with a small smile he lifted his hand to show the gold band around his finger. “Not really.”

“Wow, you’re married already? How haven’t I noticed that? How old are you?”

David opened his mouth to answer, when an instinct made his pause. “Uhm, I’m nineteen.”

“No way! What’s your spouse like? A babe? Or rich?”

“He’s very handsome, thank you very much,” David blurted out, “and no, he’s not some old guy with money.” 

Patrick grimaced. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s okay, I get it. Why don’t you come over for dinner some time and meet him?”

“Really?”

David glanced at the clock. “Oh, gosh it’s late. I have to go, he’s picking me up.”

Patrick quickly grabbed his things and offered to walk him out. David hesitated, but accepted, after all he couldn’t fault him for being curious and wanting to meet Colin early.

When they were in the main hall, a soft grip on David’s arm stopped him. “There, that’s him.”

“Who?”

“The guy I like.”

He nodded to the end of the hall, and to David’s horror, the only person above student age he could see was Colin, who was talking to a group of girls that all clutched books to their chests.

“Oh-oh.”

Colin couldn’t have heard him, but he seemed bored and when he let his gaze sweep along the room it landed on him, and a wide smile spread over his face. David smiled back, and Colin simply held eye contact, seemingly no longer listening to the still talking students. 

“David!” Colin briefly turned back to the group, probably mumbling an excuse before walking up to the two of them. He put his arm around David’s hips and kissed him on the cheek, leaving David to smile awkwardly, while trying to give Patrick a sympathetic look that simply bounced off his shocked expression.

Still with one arm around his husband, Colin smiled and held out his hand. “And you must be Patrick!”

 


End file.
